Photo provided Kyler Rimer, an IUPUC student and 2023 graduate of Columbus East High School, participated in this year’s Catalyst Summer Bridge Program, which is an initiative of Foster Success.
Today is Kyler Rimer’s first official day of college. However, he’s already had a head start on earning some credits — and learning life skills.
Rimer, an IUPUC student and 2023 graduate of Columbus East High School, participated in this year’s Catalyst Summer Bridge Program, which is an initiative of Foster Success. He was one of 10 students in this year’s cohort, said Tiffany Powell, assistant director for outreach and engagement at Foster Success.
The Indiana-based nonprofit’s mission is to ensure that teens and young adults transitioning out of foster care are “educated, housed, financially stable, employed, and connected to a reliable support system by their 26th birthday.”
According to the National Foster Youth Institute, foster youth have a “special set of challenges” outside the classroom that have a significant effect on their academic performance.
“Higher education is not only a dream for most young people — it has become an increasingly necessary stepping stone to well-paying, stable employment,” the institute’s website states. “Unfortunately for foster youth, the financial resources, mentorship, support, stability, and guidance needed to complete postsecondary education or training programs are not common.”
The Catalyst Summer Bridge Program, which is intended to help prepare foster youth for college, takes place at IUPUI over six and a half weeks, said Powell. Students move into the university in late June and reside there until the end of the program.
“Students throughout the state who have had experience in the foster care system or are currently in the foster care system have an opportunity to enroll in our summer bridge program and get a jumpstart on some college classes as well as learn the ins and outs of navigating college life, college residential life,” she said. “So in addition to the three college classes that they take, we also do a number of workshops and some fun activities on the weekends as well.”
According to Foster Success’ website, students who complete the Catalyst program, which is free, can earn six college credit hours, a stipend, a computer, and a dorm kit.
This year’s Catalyst participants also participated in Foster Success’s Opportunity Passport and Works Wonders programs, which help students learn about finances and workforce development, respectively. This is the first year the two programs have been integrated into Catalyst, Powell said.
Opportunity Passport provides an “extensive financial education” and an opportunity for Foster Success to match participants’ savings up to $3,500 for approved assets, according to the nonprofit’s website. These include but are not limited to expenses such as housing down payments, items used for educational purposes, investments, medical care and vehicle purchases.
Additionally, the Works Wonders Workforce Readiness program provides career coaching, resume building, connections to potential employers and a completion stipend.
Rimer said his aunt suggested that he attend the Catalyst program.
When asked what he’s gained from the experience, he replied, “Beforehand, I didn’t really know about finances and how to do taxes or anything like that. So Opportunity Passport provided me a way to learn to do these things and how to actually navigate through that. Kind of like what Tiffany was also saying, just experiencing college life for the first time. It’s not a perfect experience, but yet again, can any experience be perfect?”
Rimer is starting at IUPUC with an exploratory degree this fall and plans to transfer to Indiana State University later on to pursue a degree in aviation.
“The primary goal is that they just walk away feeling a little bit more prepared and secure in navigating the ins and outs of college,” Powell said.
She added that they also hope students who were unsure about college will change their minds, now that they know what to expect. For instance, one of this year’s participants had no plans to attend college at the start of Catalyst but was strongly considering attending Vincennes University by the end of the program.
“Everything (from the program) is applicable to life in general, whether it’s in college life or beyond college,” Rimer said.
